Crimson Darkness
by Harley's Little Harlequin
Summary: My first Crimson Peak story so lets hope it isn't terrible. as we follow the movies events we also find ourselves thrown into the darkness of Lucille's thoughts as memories of her own past plague her. Bad summary please Read & Review!
**-I-**

 **"** ** _Tell us again what happened miss Sharpe, tell us the story from the top."_**

 ** _The fourteen year old girl raised her green eyes from her hands in her lap her lips set in a thin line refusing to speak before she dropped her eyes to her navy blue dress again a deep brown strand of hair falling into her line of sight._**

 **"** ** _Where is Thomas? Where is my brother?"_**

 ** _Her voice wasn't more than a whisper but it was enough for the men sitting across the table from her to share a look before one returned his eyes to her._**

 **"** ** _He is being looked after elsewhere, now miss Sharpe we need you to answer our questions."_**

 ** _The girl shook her head._**

 **"** ** _I want to see Thomas! Let me see my brother!"_**

 ** _Once again the men shared a look but this time one got to his feet and walked to the only door in the room and tapped on it twice, after the second knock the door opened and a few words were exchanged before the man stepped away and a young boy twelve years of age with black hair and blue eyes was ushered in. The moment his eyes found his sister he ran to her and threw himself onto his knees in front of her so his arms were around her waist._**

 **"** ** _Lucille! I was so scared they wouldn't let me see you again!"_**

 ** _The girl, Lucille gave a faint smile gently stroking Thomas' hair with one hand while the other cupped his cheek._**

 **"** ** _Hush now Thomas, everything is alright now I won't let anyone hurt you or take you away. Never apart remember?"_**

 ** _Thomas looked up at his sister with teary eyes and nodded silently before hidding his face in her lap. Lucille closed her eyes and began to hum softly smiling when Thomas relaxed on the verge of falling asleep. As she hummed she listened, the men were standing across the room by the door whispering like they believed she couldn't hear them._**

 **"** ** _I don't know sir her reluctance to speak of what happened may very well be a way for us to believe she did it."_**

 ** _The other man, the one who had let Thomas in, looked back at the siblings before massaging his jaw._**

 **"** ** _She couldn't have done it, she's a fourteen year old girl the strike to the head was nearly enough to split the woman's head in two it would have taken someone much stronger than her to have done it. Besides the boy claims she was in the nursery with him in the attic."_**

 **"** ** _He could be lying to protect her, you've said it yourself she is fourteen that's much too old to be in a nursery, a young woman of her age should be in her own room learning to sew or knit not be in a child's play area!"_**

 ** _The older man pinched the bridge of his nose exhausted, this investigation had been going on for two days and they still had no leads to find out who had killed Lady Beatrice Sharpe and the only people they could question were the woman's children who were asleep at the time the murder occurred. There were three light knocks on the door that made the men jump before the younger one opened it enough to listen, there was a long silence and Lucille felt her stomach twist painfully as she held Thomas closer. After closing the door the men turned back to face Lucille and Thomas before the older man stepped closer to her._**

 **"** ** _Miss Sharpe it would seem with no one to look after you and your brother you will both be sent away to boarding schools, you will be sent to a Convent School for girls in Switzerland while Thomas is being sent to St. Dunstan's Boarding School for boys in London."_**

 ** _At his words Thomas' eyes snapped open and he looked ready to cry as he shook his head clinging tighter to his sister as she stiffened leering coldly at the men stepping closer to them._**

 **"** ** _No! I don't want to go! I want to stay with Lucille! Please don't let them separate us Lucie!"_**

 ** _Lucille looked down at her brother before standing, slipping his arms from her waist as she stood in front of him blocking him._**

 **"** ** _I'm not going anywhere and neither is Thomas, we stay together no matter what."_**

 ** _The men looked at each other than at the girl before them and back, the older man nodded and with that signal the younger man stepped closer placing his hand on Lucille's arm making her growl and grip his wrist yanking his hand away._**

 **"** ** _Don't touch me!"_**

 ** _With her words she slammed his arm into the table so there was a snapping sound making Thomas cover his ears and turn away as the younger man screamed in pain backing away his arm broken, a he fell to the ground Lucille moved to stand over him narrowing her eyes. In the blink of an eye she was on top of him, her knees on his chest forcing him to stay down, raising her hands she curled them like claws._**

 **"** ** _And this is for trying to take Thomas from me!"_**

 ** _Before anyone could even move Lucille brought her hands down and began clawing at the man's eyes so blood began to flow from the gashes as the young man screamed in pain and tried to push her away. The older man's eyes widened as he stepped back as well horrified. Lucille stopped her assault as the man under her passed out from bloodloss and shock before getting up and going back to Thomas kneeling down to his level pulling his hands from his ears acting like the blood on her hands wasn't there._**

 **"** ** _It's alright Thomas, I won't let them take us away from each other, always together never apart."_**

 ** _Thomas looked up at her with teary eyes and parroted her words._**

 **"** ** _Always together, never apart."_**

 ** _Lucille smiled hugging him close tenderly kissing his cheek. During their little exchange they had failed to notice the older man slip from the room and return with two others and a uniformed officer. Thomas tore his eyes away from his sister to see one of the men walking towards her with a cloth in hand making his eyes go wide and his mouth tried to form words confusing Lucille._**

 **"** ** _Thomas? What's the matter?"_**

 ** _The question had barely left her mouth before Thomas pushed her to the ground just as the man behind her tried to bring the cloth to her face causing it to cover Thomas' instead. Lucille watched as whatever was on the cloth made Thomas' eyes distant before they closed and he slumped into the man's arm._**

 **"** ** _NO! Thomas!"_**

 ** _Lucille tried to grab her brother as he was pulled away but four hands grabbed her and held her back as she struggled. As she fought the man took Thomas out of the room making Lucille scream and finally break free of the hands holding her only to have a cloth pressed to her nose and mouth._**

 **"** ** _Lucille Elizabeth Sharpe you are, as of now, deemed unfit for society and in turn unable to be responsible for your brother. You will be locked away in an institution for young women like yourself far away from others and far away from your brother."_**

 ** _Lucille fought against the hands restraining her trying to get away but the more she fought the more of the funny smelling substance on the cloth she breathed in making staying awake harder and harder until finally she blacked out her last sight being Thomas being taken out of the room with the man she'd attacked. When Lucille was finally able to open her eyes she found herself in an unfamiliar space, it was dark and cold but these factors didn't bother her, it was made of some kind of dark stone with iron bars forming a window in a thick wooden door letting in the faint glow of candles._**

 ** _Getting to her feet she tried to walk to the heavy door but as she reached the middle of the room something clanked behind her and she found herself unable to move forward anymore, looking back she found heavy metal chains shackled to her ankles and slightly longer ones on her wrists. Panicked she tried tugging on the chains making them rattle loudly but not budge one but only cut into the skin of her ankles and wrists, after several minutes of this she felt warm blood trickling from her wrist and gave up panting slightly winded from trying to get out of the shackles._**

 ** _Suddenly the candle light was gone from the barred window making her look up to find a man looking in at her as though he were looking at caged animal._**

 **"** ** _Such a shame to see one so young affected by madness, so beautiful too."_**

 ** _As the man spoke he looked over Lucille making her shudder in disgust before she looked down and realized she was no longer wearing her baby blue dress but rather a white slip that was barely thick enough one couldn't see right through it._**

 **"** ** _Don't get any ideas she's wild, said she clawed a man's out just for touchin' her before they brought her over."_**

 ** _A second voice warned making the man at the door look away then glance back before leaving his words becoming too soft to hear. Lucille closed her eyes for a long moment picturing how Thomas would be reacting to waking up without her, poor boy must be so scared, she opened her eyes and began trying to slip her wrists from the shackles. She'd nearly managed to slip on hand free when the door opened and a man with grey hair, blue eyes hidden behind thick glasses, narrow features and a twisted smile stood in the doorway._**

 ** _Before she could even try to hide what she'd been doing the man grabbed her by the arm and forced her to stand shoving the shackle back into place so it cut into her skin yet she didn't cry out, taking many beatings from her mother's came had heightened her pain tolerance quite a bit so a scratch was nothing._**

 **"** ** _Naughty little thing trying to escape, even if you managed there's nowhere for you to go just miles and miles of attic cold and barren mountains you wouldn't stand a chance."_**

 ** _Lucille looked the man in the eyes her face set in an emotionless mask but her green eyes were challenging him, testing the waters before she acted. The man gripped her wrist tighter trying to get a reaction._**

 **"** ** _Are you deaf or something child? Or have you already lost what little brain a woman has?"_**

 ** _Lucille narrowed her eyes giving a growl before bringing her head forward so her forehead collided with his jaw. The man dropped her at once and stumbled back holding his jaw while Lucille leered at him from the ground where she'd landed a small trickle of blood running from a scratch on her forehead. The man held his jaw narrowing his eyes before looking over his shoulder at another man in the doorway._**

 **"** ** _Get her in a straight jacket and add another restraint to her neck."_**

 ** _The man in the doorway nodded once and turned to leave but paused when the first man spoke again._**

 **"** ** _And bring the ice, she needs to learn her place."_**

 ** _As she listened Lucille had to fight the urge to scoff, ice what could they do to hurt her with ice? The man nodded again and walked away with the other following behind still rubbing his jaw watching her as he slammed the door._**

 **"** ** _Just you wait little one, soon we will break that nasty little spirit of yours."_**

 ** _Lucille stayed silent as he walked away, as soon as the footsteps were quiet enough she began working to free her wrist again. This time she had managed to get one hand free but not a moment later did the door open and two men came in carrying a large metal tub, another carrying two buckets of ice, another couple each carrying two buckets of water and the man she'd head butted. The grey haired man smiled wickedly at her as the men set up the tub and filled it with the ice and water._**

 **"** ** _Now my dear you are going to learn that your behavior earlier is not proper. Bind her."_**

 ** _After setting down their buckets two of the men took a white garment from by the door and walked toward her making her growl and leer at them before swatting at them with her freed hand managing to claw a good sized cut into one man's cheek. Before she could do anything more her wrist was grabbed and forced into the garment along with the rest of her upper body only her head left uncovered, on top of the straight jacket a metal shackle was placed around her neck. As she tried to fight out of the jacket she was lifted from the ground roughly and dragged over to the tub, she managed to kick on of the men holding her in the gut but he didn't let go of her until she was being submerged into the tub._**

 ** _As her skin hit the water it burnt like fire making her let out a scream and try to get away but the more she fought the more she was forced into the burning cold. By the time she was sitting in the tub she was shaking and sweating at the same time having lost feeling in her lower body hadn't made the submergence any easier on her. Once she was in up to her chest the grey haired man grabbed her hair and produced a pair of silver scissors from his pocket smiling evilly as he roughly cut her long hair off so short it was a wonder he didn't scalp her._**

 ** _As soon as her hair was cut the man stepped back and made a sign with his hand before one of the guards placed his hand on her head and forced it under the water making her scream and struggle trying to resurface. As her Lucas began to burn with the lack of air and water she'd swallowed her head was forced back up and her eyes found the grey haired man smiling at her as she gasped for air._**

 **"** ** _Have you learned your lesson yet little one?"_**

 ** _Lucille made no motion to show she'd even heard what he said making him narrow his eyes and drop the smile to reach out and grab her chin, the second his hand was in range she bit his finger hard enough she tasted blood before he pulled it away yowling in pain before glaring at her and making the sign again. Before she could take a breath to prepare herself her head was pushed back under forcing the burning cold water up her nose and down into her lungs. This time she was forced to stay under until her vision began to go dark._**

 ** _As she was brought up to the surface she was thrown back against the floor like an old rag doll her head hitting the stone with a solid thunk making her close her eyes and hiss in pain with what breath she had. After a moment the grey haired man grabbed her chin making her open her eyes then widen as she found he'd gripped the hem of her soaked slip in his hand and the wicked look in his eye made her stomach turn._**

 **"** ** _I'll teach you once and for all what happens to little girls that misbehave around here."_**

 ** _Lucille shook her head squeezing her eyes shut and she kicked and squirmed trying to get away to no avail and the more she fought the worse it hurt until finally she let out a blood curdling scream._**

 **Lucille's eyes flew open as cold sweat clung to her forehead and she gasped for breath. Her eyes darted around until the faint glow from the fireplace showed her she was no longer in the dark cell but rather in her parents old bedroom back home in Allerdale Hall. She closed her eyes taking deep breaths to steady herself before looking beside her as the sound of shifting hit her ears, laying beside her sound asleep and oblivious lay Thomas, his black hair was tousled from sleep and even though he was now grown his face still looked innocent as a child's.**

 ****

 **Letting out a heavy sigh she rolled onto her side and snuggled herself closer to her brother's chest making him wake only enough to wrap his arms around her and gently place his chin on her head. Feeling safe and warm Lucille let her eyes close and her muscles relax as she took in Thomas' scent, a scent like old paper, her own perfume, and spring rain, it was a scent she could get drunk on and be completely at ease. Nuzzling his shoulder she finally let heralded fall back asleep hoping this time being close to her brother would keep away the horrid dreams.**


End file.
